Ball-bearing rim-lug



V w. 1. SMITH. BALL BEARING RIM LUG. APPLICATION FILED SEPT 7' 1920.

1,383,435. PatentedJuly 5,1921.

Fig.4. 6'-

Inventon WmJ dmit 3 Q.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM J. SMITH, OF EOLIA, MISSOURI.

BALL-BEARING RIM-LUG.

T 0 all to 710m it may 007L067 n Be it known that I, VILLIAM J. SMTTH, acitizen of the United States, residing at Eolia, Pike county, Missouri,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Ball-BearingRim-Lugs, of which the following is a specification containing a full,clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanyingdrawings, forming a part thereof.

My invention consists in the novel construction and combination of partshereinafter particularly described and distinctly claimed.

One of the objects of my invention is'to provide an improvedball-bearing mechanism for the nuts of automobile tire-lugs, and forother purposes; whereby the nut may be more quickly and easily tightenedand loosened, whenever required, and yet will be securely looked afterit has been tightened, as well as secured against accidental loss afterit has been loosened.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in thefollowing description.

In the drawings,

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a ballbearing tire-lug and nut-lock,constructed in accordance with my invention.

Fig. 2 is a vertical section of same, taken on the line 22 of Fig. 1.

F i 3 is a to )lan View of the tire-hi with the nut, washer, andlocking-spring removed.

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of a modified form of my invention, and

Fig. 5 is a view of the reverse side of the device shown in Fig. 4.

The numeral 1 designates the base-plate of the tire-lug, the same havingthe usual lateral lug 2 for engaging the rim of the tire, in thewellknown manner.

Said base-plate is perforated, as usual, for the passage therethrough ofthe bolt 3, and a circular depression 4 is formed in the outer face ofsaid base-plate 1 at a slight distance from, and surrounding the saidbolt perforation.

A series of balls 5 are seated in said circular depression 4, which Iwill hereinafter designate as the ball-race, and a suitable nut 6 isprovided at its inner end with a circular marginal flange 7 in the innerface of which is a nut ball-race 8 which is seated upon theSpecification of Letters Patent.

Patented July 5, 1921.

Application filed September 7, 1920. Serial No. 498,568.

saidballs 5, so that when said nut is tightcued up its thrust will betaken by the ballbearing thus provided, and the nut may be tightened orloosened very quickly and easily upon the exertion of little power.

. A washer 9 has its outer margin curved inwardly, and said washer ismounted upon the outer surface of the said nut flange 7, with said outermargin of said washer seated upon a circular abutment or off-set 10.

A series of curved upstanding fastening lugs 11 are formed integral withthe outer face of the said base-plate l, and are adapted to have theirouter free edges battered or bent inwardly, as shown in Fig. 2, tooverhang the said washer 9, and engage the same, to fasten said washerand said nut in place, and prevent them from being accidentally lostwhen the nut is loosened, and the tirelug is removed from the automobilewheel.

The said off-set or abutment l0 prevents the said washer from hearingtoo tightly upon the said flange 7 of the nut 6, when the saidfastening-lugs are forced against said washer, in battering or bendingsaid lugs, as above described; and possible binding, breakage, orcrushing of the steel balls 5 is thereby prevented.

To positively lock the nut 6 against loosening after it has beentightened, I provide the locking-spring 12, as will now be described.

A nut seated upon a ball-bearing would move so easily and becomeloosened so quickly that, without a positive lock, the device would beworthless.

The locking-spring 12 is preferably made of brass or other non-corrosivespring-wire,

vided at their ends with out-turned pintles 14, which are sprung intobearing-apertures formed in opposite perforated cars 15 extending fromthe outer face of the said baseplate 1, and the body 16 which connectsthe upper ends of the said parallel arms is bent in V-shape, to fit theshape of the said nut 6 and securely hold said nut against looseningduring use, when the locking-spring is thrown to its normal lockingposition, which is that in which it is herein shown.

The outer free edges of the said perforated cars 15 are bent inwardly,so that they overhang the said parallel arms of the lockingspring12,-and thereby the latter in a locking position with relation to thesaid spring is effectually prevented.

When it is desired to release the lockingspring 12 from the nut 6, thespring is swung outwardly upon its pintles 14 until the nut is cleared,whereupon the nut may be easily loosened by means of theusual wrench.

In the modification, shown in Figs. 41 and 5, I have shown my inventionin a form adapted to lock the nuts of ordinary bolts, the ball-bearingbeing omitted, and if the deviceis to be used as a lock-washer uponrailroad-rail joints, the base-plate 1 is made rectangular in form, asshown by dotted lines in Fig. 1-,so'that the upper edge of said platewill extend upwardly into contact with'the head of the rail, and bethereby prevented from turning.

. WVhen there is danger of the base-plate l turning, in using myinvention upon wooden structures or elsewhere, the back face of thebase-plate should be corrugated or provided with radial teeth 17, whichwill bite into the surface of the wood or other structure, and sopreventthe turning of the base-plate Of course, in locations where therectangular lowerend of the said base-plate 1 can rest upon some fixedobject, the upper end may be rounded, as shown in Fig.6.

'lheoperation of my invention. will be readilyunderstood, withoutfurther description. 7 i a I claimz- W A. ball-bearing rim-lug,comprising a baseplate having an integral rim-'engaging'lug projectingfrom its inner side, and provided with an annular ball-race upon itsouter side balls in said ball-race; a bolt having screwthread's; and anut threadedon said bolt and having aballiace upon its inner face seatedon said ba-lls. p I

NVILLIAM-J. Witnesses: V v r i IQPH-ILLIPS 1 Joint CIHrenom

